Settled in a quieter area of London’s West End, The Academy is the perfect spot for a refined and relaxing stay after enjoying an evening of theatre. Surrounded by quintessentially London streets with bookshops, cafes and beautiful townhouses, the hotel melts perfectly into its historic landscape. The fashionable neighbourhood of Bloomsbury was the inspiration for The Academy’s recent renovation, as well as the Bloomsbury Group — a group of influential British writers and artists from the early 20th century such as Virginia Woolf, Vanessa Bell, and E. M. Forster who met to share their ideas. Walking through the Alchemy Bar and the library, you can feel the influence of the writers on the hotel; the interior makes you want to get a drink, sit in the library and discuss recent reads as well as the world around you.
The Academy is made up of five 18th century Georgian houses with a total of 50 rooms, the garden transports you out of a bustling city and settles you into a stillness, perfect for enjoying your afternoon tea. Mr Ma’s Afternoon Tea continues the hotel’s inspiration from influential writers with a menu of traditional English afternoon tea with an Asian twist. Shu Qingchun, a famous Chinese writer known under his pen name Lao She, lived in London and was a lecturer at University of London in the 1920’s. Based on his life in London, in 1929 he wrote Mr Ma and Son. This story was the inspiration for The Academy’s afternoon tea and mimics the journey of the main characters.
The combination of past and present is evident in the hotel’s refurbishment which was completed in 2018 by New York based, award-winning interior design company, Champalimaud. Their ethos is to combine history and character of a property into each of their projects, for a distinct storytelling journey which is all brought together into every design choice. For The Academy, they wanted to combine the renowned London townhouse living, surrounding neighbourhood, and the influential writers of the area into all elements; celebrating the heritage of the hotel’s surroundings with contemporary motifs and realise it into life in each room.
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